Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History / The Portuguese Inquisition in Goa: Fear and Fire
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked about the Goa Inquisition a few times on the show, but we've never really gotten into the weeds of how it actually operated. What made it so feared, and why it lasted as long as it did. And there's a specific angle I want to dig into today — the way it went after not just New Christians, but Hindus and Buddhists too. That's a side of it that doesn't get as much attention. Luna: I thought the Inquisition was mostly about keeping crypto-Jews in line. How did it get to be about Hindus and Buddhists? Lucas: Right, that's the usual focus, and it's true that the Inquisition's original charter targeted Cristãos-Novos — New Christians — who were suspected of secretly practicing Judaism. But when you set up a court in Goa, in the middle of the Estado da Índia, you're dealing with a vastly different religious landscape. The Portuguese were ruling over a majority Hindu population, and they were also encountering Buddhists, Muslims, and others. The Inquisition quickly took on the role of enforcing Christian orthodoxy across the board, not just among converted Jews. Lucas: And the methods were brutal. The auto-da-fé was the public spectacle where sentences were pronounced — sometimes burnings at the stake, but more often penances, floggings, or exile. These were designed to be terrifying. The Church wanted to make an example, to show what happened if you strayed from the faith. So you had these processions, the black robes, the pointed hats, the whole theatrical machinery. It was fear, pure and simple. Luna: And this went on for centuries? I mean, we're talking about a long period of colonial rule. Lucas: The Goa Inquisition was formally established in 1560, and it wasn't abolished until 1812, with a brief interruption in the 1770s. That's a long time. And it cast a shadow over Goan society. The Inquisition had its own network of informants, its own prisons, its own procedures. It could arrest anyone, sometimes on the flimsiest of accusations. And it had the power to confiscate property, which of course created incentives for false accusations. That's a recipe for terror. Lucas: Now, the Inquisition wasn't just about punishing individuals. It was also about erasing cultural practices. Take the festival of Diwali, or the practice of yoga — these were deemed pagan and therefore suspect. The Inquisition actively tried to suppress them. And there's a famous case from 1680 where a Hindu man was burned at the stake for the crime of 'idolatry.' The records show he was a weaver named Chhota. He was probably just going through the motions of his faith in private. Luna: That's horrifying. And what about the Jesuits? They were the ones doing missionary work, but I've heard they had complicated feelings about the Inquisition. Lucas: That's a great thread to pull. Alessandro Valignano, who was the Jesuit superior in Asia in the late 1500s, famously clashed with the Inquisition. He believed that the best way to convert was through cultural accommodation — learning the local languages, respecting local customs, even allowing converts to keep some of their traditions if they weren't strictly idolatrous. He saw the Inquisition's heavy-handed tactics as counterproductive, and he actually wrote letters back to Rome complaining about it. He said it was driving people away from Christianity. Lucas: But he wasn't able to change much. The Inquisition was under the authority of the Portuguese crown, not the Jesuits. And the Jesuits themselves were sometimes accused of being too lenient. There's this fascinating document from the Inquisition archives where they're questioning a Jesuit missionary about allowing converts to keep their caste distinctions. So the Inquisition was even policing the missionaries. That's how deep it went. Luna: So the Inquisition basically had a hand in everything. Did it ever come up against any resistance from within the Portuguese system itself? Lucas: There were moments. The Marquis of Pombal, who we've talked about in other episodes, was a reformer in the 18th century. He pushed back against the Jesuits, and he also tried to curb the Inquisition's power. In 1774, he actually issued a decree that the Inquisition couldn't confiscate property, and he limited its jurisdiction over New Christians. But the Inquisition was entrenched. It wasn't until the liberal revolutions of the 19th century that it was finally abolished for good. Lucas: And then there's the historian Cunha Rivara. He was a Portuguese scholar who published a critical history of the Goa Inquisition in the 19th century, using the actual Inquisition records. His work is a key source for us today. He quotes from the trials, the sermons, the lists of punishments. It's chilling to read. He documented the case of a man named Custódio de Silva, who was burned at the stake for 'Judaizing' in 1652. And there are dozens of similar cases. Luna: It's amazing that those records survived at all. I mean, the Inquisition tried to erase so much. Lucas: That's the irony — the Inquisition was meticulous about keeping records. They wanted a paper trail of their orthodoxy. So we have these detailed accounts of the trials, the witnesses, the sentences. And that's what allows us to reconstruct what happened. It's a dark chapter, but it's one we can actually see clearly. Lucas: And it had a lasting impact. Goa today is predominantly Catholic, but the Inquisition's legacy is still felt. It created a culture of fear that persisted long after the court was gone. It also contributed to the loss of many indigenous traditions, languages, and texts. When the Portuguese arrived, Goa was a thriving center of Hindu culture, with temples and libraries. By the time the Inquisition was done, most of that was gone. Luna: And it's not just about Goa, right? The Inquisition also had jurisdiction over other parts of the Portuguese empire, like Macau and Brazil. It was a global system of control. Lucas: Exactly. The Inquisition in Goa was part of a broader imperial structure. It worked alongside the colonial administration, the military, the Church, to enforce a single way of being. And that had profound consequences for the peoples of the Indian Ocean world. It's a reminder that the Portuguese empire wasn't just about trade and navigation, but also about cultural and religious domination. Lucas: There's also the human cost to think about. We often focus on the grand narratives of exploration and conquest, but the Inquisition gives us a window into the lives of ordinary people. People like the weaver Chhota, or the New Christian merchants who had to hide their faith. Their stories are part of the history too, and they're often the ones we forget. Luna: It's heavy. But I'm glad we're talking about it. Lucas: Yeah, and it's important to remember that this didn't happen in a vacuum. The Inquisition was one tool among many in the colonial arsenal. And it left scars that are still visible today. If you ever go to Goa, you can see the churches, the statues, the architecture — but you also have to know the cost at which that came. Lucas: Before we wrap up, I want to touch on something that's been on my mind. We do this show, and we're able to dig into these topics because of the support of a small group of listeners. It's not a big operation, but people who chip in through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo make it possible for us to spend the time researching and putting these episodes together. It keeps the show ad-free, which is important to us. Luna: And we really do appreciate it. It means we can go deep into these stories without worrying about sponsors. Lucas: For sure. And speaking of going deep, one thing we haven't touched on is the role of women in the Inquisition. There were women who were accused of 'superstition' or 'witchcraft' — not just Jews or Hindus, but also Portuguese settlers. The Inquisition was an equal-opportunity oppressor, in a way. Lucas: There's a case of a Goan woman named Maria de Fátima who was accused of taking part in a Hindu ritual. She was only a child, probably around ten years old. The Inquisition sentenced her to be publicly flogged. That shows you the extent of their zeal. They didn't spare anyone. Luna: That's awful. How did the local population survive that kind of pressure for so long? Lucas: Some converted and kept their old practices in secret. Others fled to areas outside Portuguese control. And some, of course, were genuinely converted and embraced the new faith. But the Inquisition made it clear that there was no middle ground. You were either Catholic or you were a target. Lucas: And that's something we should keep in mind when we think about the legacy of the Portuguese empire. It wasn't just about bringing Christianity to Asia — it was about forcing it at the point of a sword, sometimes literally. The Inquisition was the sword. Luna: It's a sobering note to end on, but an important one. Lucas: It is. And I think it's a good reminder that history is never simple. The Portuguese built an empire that connected continents, and that had enormous consequences both good and bad. The Inquisition is one of the darkest chapters of that story, but it's one we have to face honestly if we want to understand the full picture.